Interactive game between a plurality of players viewing a sporting game

ABSTRACT

The device for allocating a scoring event in a sporting game to one of a plurality of players of an interactive game depending on specific circumstances during play of the sporting game which result in scoring of one adversary in the sporting game over at least one of the other adversaries in the sporting game, the device including a set of discrete game members having depicted thereon a corresponding set of unique scoring event descriptors so that each game member has thereon a single unique scoring event descriptor from the set of unique scoring event descriptors.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/616,518 filed Oct. 7, 2004 entitled Sporting Pool Game.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to device and method for an interactive game between a plurality of players viewing a sporting game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Games of chance involving sporting event pools have been played for years in a variety of forms, the most common of which is selecting a team from a pool of professional sports players and monitoring the statistics for said players and accumulating their total score over some defined period. Generally several people would play by pooling funds into a common pool, with the person achieving the highest score winning all or some part of the pool.

This gaming pool concept has been extended through board games and the like. Applicant is aware of patents regarding these types of games such as:

U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,873 issued to Jacobsen on Sep. 4, 1990 relating to a playing board played with chips, requiring a banker. This game is very involved with a result after every play, with a significant difference in the probabilities of the available play choices on which chips can be placed.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,090 issued Zeile et al. on Nov. 4, 1997 relating to a game requires data input into a processor for each individual event including player and team names, statistic, probability of occurrences (actual events happening during game) including variables such as home and away team, weather, injuries, etc. The game requires a card dispenser that accepts cash (means of purchase of card), and prints “play cards”, and verifies winning tickets. Each card consists of 25 squares with the center square being a designated “Free” square with a bingo card type of layout, and the game is played similar to a bingo game with the squares having sporting game occurrences rather than numbers as in bingo. As each play (occurrence) happens the appropriate square is marked off until one of the players achieves a winning card similar to bingo with a completed line. Each play in this game has a varied probability of occurrence, and each game card does not necessarily produce a winner thus reducing the odds of winning.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,877 issued to Coppock on Feb. 7, 1984 relates to an interactive baseball game in which the manner by which the first three batters up in each inning get on base by exposing printed codes by removing a mask such as an overlay like on scratch and win cards.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,258 issued to Sanderson on Jun. 8, 1993 teaches a break open game ticket comprising of a first and second substrate laid back to back. Each substrate has an upper half and lower half, which includes information about winning combinations of symbols and three break open panels respectively.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is a certain class of sporting games in which there are at least two adversarial teams, each team having at least one player, wherein the adversarial teams compete against one another so as to typically score points according to a pre-determined rule set, within the confines of a time and space allotment for playing the game. The particular rule set for the particular game constrains the form of play for each adversarial team thereby completing, in addition to the time and space constraints on the game, the fall set of constraints governing behavior as between the adversarial teams. Within this set of constraints each adversarial team will succeed in scoring over the other adversarial team or teams by the exploitation of the particular team's skills, abilities, endurance, size in some instances, complexity of play, attitude on a particular play day, and other attributes which will cause one adversarial team to succeed in scoring over another adversarial team as between adversarial teams which more or less are evenly matched.

Such sporting games provide spectator sports enjoyed by the viewing thereof, whether the viewers are spectators actually attending the event or viewers watching the event remotely for example by way of live television broadcast, internet web cast or the like. Typically the sporting games are played as part of a coordinated league or are competing in an organized event such as a tournament which has a pre-arranged schedule so that spectators know in advance when the event is to occur and how to watch it, whether in person or by way of broadcast. Some of the enjoyment of watching such a sporting game is in the uncertainty of the outcome and the viewer knowing that the viewer is watching the event unfold in real time so that no one can predict with certainty what the outcome will be and everyone, including the viewer, has to watch the event to find out the outcome. Many sophisticated viewers are adept at predicting the outcome of such events by knowing the abilities, status of injuries, and other particulars of individual players on the roster of each of the adversarial teams and consequently enjoy using their ability to forecast the outcome of the sporting games by placing what are typically monetary bets on particular outcomes in order to collect winnings from those viewers placing bets who have a poorer ability to so predict.

There are many ways in which viewers of sporting games may place bets on the outcome of a particular game in order to try and win money by successfully predicting the outcome. The present invention is directed to a device, and a method of using the device which provides a simple and inexpensive means for betting on the outcome of a game, and in particular, betting on the actual play event which affects the outcome of the game in a manner which gives the less sophisticated viewer a somewhat equal opportunity to win money and reduces the prospects of a less sophisticated view being at the mercy of a more sophisticated viewer who is adept at predicting the outcome of particular sporting games. This in turn increases the likelihood that less sophisticated players will be inclined to play an interactive game while watching a sporting event in real time in that they will not feel exploited by those more sophisticated viewers who may be total strangers to them and yet can join in the same game in an environment which remains friendly and informal while watching the sporting game in real time. This of course may apply to situations in home residences where a group of friends may get together to view a game, and may equally apply to environments such as drinking establishments wherein a group of strangers may become involved in playing the interactive game according to the present invention while watching a sporting game in a common drinking area.

The present invention also provides, in one embodiment, for a viewer being secure in the knowledge that it is unlikely that the results of the interactive game have been rigged in favor of certain viewers participating in the interactive game by the use of a security check to reduce the prospect of fraud.

The present invention is a device and method of using same whereby multiple players can play a pool type of game in conjunction with viewing a sporting event such as a football game. The game may employ symbols on a deck of cards or may use a master carrier card carrying tickets which are printed with scoring plays for the game. In one embodiment the tickets have a substrate and removable cover in the form of a “pull-tab” such that the printed scoring plays remain hidden until the tickets are removed from the carrier, and the pull tab cover removed from the substrate. In the latter, each player selects their tickets from the carrier and pays their funds into the pool. The pull-tab covers are then opened. In this manner each player has one or more scoring plays uniquely and randomly assigned. During the sporting event when a scoring event occurs that matches the scoring play on a player's ticket, the player is entitled to claim their portion of the pool.

In summary, the present invention may be characterized in one aspect as a device for use in an interactive game between a plurality of players viewing a sporting game wherein the sporting game has an object of scoring, as between at least two adversarial teams trying to score one over the other, as a result of their respective skill levels, ability, size, endurance, coordination, complexity of play and the like, and wherein the players of the interactive game are observers of the sporting game and interact with one another during play of the sporting game. The device according to the present invention allocates a scoring event in the sporting game to one of the plurality of players of the interactive game depending on specific circumstances during play of the sporting game which result in scoring of one adversary over at least one of the other adversaries.

The device may include a set of discrete game members having depicted thereon a corresponding set of unique scoring event descriptors so that each game member of the set of discrete game members has thereon a single unique scoring event descriptor from the set of unique scoring event descriptors. During play of the sporting game individual viewers of the sporting game may be each provided with one or more of the game members so that upon a scoring event in the sporting game, the particular set of play circumstances resulting in the scoring event are correlated to the corresponding unique scoring event descriptors of the corresponding game member held by a viewer and a reward allocated to that viewer.

In one embodiment not intended to be limiting the set of discrete game members are formed on a substrate having a surface on which are depicted an array of separate scoring event descriptors, wherein each scoring event descriptor of the array of separate scoring event descriptors describes a unique set of play circumstances which result in a scoring event by one of the adversarial teams in the sporting game.

In a pull-tab embodiment, the substrate may be an opaque sheet, and second substantially opaque cover sheet is removably mounted by removable mounting means such as light adhesive onto the sheet substrate so as to cover the array of separate event descriptors on the sheet substrate to prevent reading of the event descriptors until the cover sheet is manually removed.

Means may be provided for separating the array into discrete scoring event descriptors on correspondingly discrete removed sections of the sheet substrate. In the pull-tab embodiment the substrate is overlaid by corresponding discrete sections of the cover sheet so as to form individual pull-tab means once so separated, whereby, once so separated, each section of the cover sheet of the corresponding discrete sections of the cover sheet may be lifted from its the removable mounting onto a corresponding section of the sheet substrate of the corresponding discrete removed sections of the sheet substrate so as to expose a corresponding the scoring event descriptor. The means for separating the array may include perforations around the game members so that the game members are separable one from another as between adjacent the game members.

In a preferred embodiment, the scoring event descriptors include tackle football plays chosen from the group comprising: running plays, passing plays, field goal plays, defence plays, special teams' plays, and, no score/end-of-game. Preferably, scoring event descriptors chosen from the group each include a specified range of values associated with a corresponding the scoring event descriptor. Advantageously, collectively, the specified range of values specifies a range of values covering all possible values for the corresponding the scoring event descriptor so that no play in a football game resulting in a scoring event will not be described in one of the unique scoring event descriptors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates, in perspective view, playing cards according to one embodiment of the present invention showing the scoring plays printed on the individual cards.

FIG. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention wherein scoring plays are printed on a sheet of removable tickets.

FIG. 2 a shows the carrier card of FIG. 2 with a ticket detached.

FIG. 2 b is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2 a.

FIG. 3 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention wherein scoring plays are printed on a substrate, the substrate perforated and having removable covers over the plays so as to form a carrier card of detachable pull-tabs.

FIG. 3 a is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the carrier card of FIG. 3 illustrating the perforated cover sheet aligned over, for mounting onto, the printed substrate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a game of chance played in conjunction with a sporting game such as football. The game uses in one embodiment a carrier card with perforated removable tickets or pull-tabs. Each ticket or pull-tab has printed thereon a unique scoring play and a serial number. The scoring plays are covered by removable covers in the pull-tab embodiment.

One embodiment of the interactive game according to the present invention relates to tackle football and is played interactively while watching a football game using for example either a deck of unique playing cards 1 as seen in FIG. 1 or tickets 2 as seen in FIG. 2 or pull-tab tickets 3 as seen in FIG. 3 distributed manually or distributed electronically to a few or many people sequentially or simultaneously. One embodiment of the present invention includes a perforated carrier card 4 with removable pull-tab tickets 3 having pull-tab covers 6 removably mounted over corresponding planar substrates 7 on which are printed unique scoring plays 8. The tickets 2 or pull-tab tickets 3 are divided on the corresponding card by perforated seams 9. Each ticket may thus be removed by breaking apart or tearing along the corresponding perforated seam.

The scoring play 8 on each individual ticket represents a different possible football scoring play. Each set of cards 1 or tickets 2 or pull-tab tickets 3 contains within the set all possible football scoring plays. The tickets may also differentiate between scoring by the home team and scoring by the visiting team. Each game scoring play or the last scoring play before to the end of a quarter or half will produce one winner for each set used.

The perforated carrier card 5 as shown in FIG. 2 is a perforated card with a matrix of scoring plays 8 printed on it. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 the scoring plays 8 are hidden by a sheet 10 of pull-tab covers 6 shown in FIG. 4. The playing cards are distributed or the tickets are distributed from the carrier card, and in the case of pull-tabs the scoring plays 8 are exposed to be used in the game by pulling back the pull-tab covers 6. Both the tickets and the carrier card header 11 are printed with identical serial or series number 12 to associate the ticket with the carrier so that tickets from one game are not reused with a subsequent game. The assembly of the pull-tab carrier card is illustrated in FIG. 4 showing scoring plays 8 and serial numbers 12 printed on the backing card or substrate 7 and pull-tab cover sheet 10 about to be adhered down onto the backing card. The title of the game and serial number 12 may be printed on either the backing card or the pull-tab cover.

Method of Play for Tickets or Pull-Tab Cards:

a. Players gather to view a football game.

b. The house/banker control the use of carrier cards and distributes tickets or pull-tabs among all the players. Each ticket or pull-tab on the carrier card represents a different possible football scoring play and also include a “no score, end of game” ticket or pull-tab (alternatively collectively referred to herein as scoring event descriptors).

c. The house/banker retains the header from the carrier cards which contains a unique series number that is also on each one of the tickets or pull-tabs from the card. This series number will be needed to verify the winning ticket after a scoring play occurs in the football game that is being viewed.

d. The players watch the football game and wait for a scoring play to occur or wait until the end of a quarter or half of play.

e. When a scoring play occurs the house/banker announces the official scoring play.

f. Players check their tickets to see if they match the official scoring play.

g. Players with the matching scoring play hand in the ticket to the house/banker for verification or do so after the last scoring play in the quarter or half.

h. The house/banker verifies a ticket by checking that:

-   -   1. The series number on the ticket matches the series number on         the corresponding carrier card.     -   2. The scoring play on the ticket matches the relevant official         scoring play announced by the house/banker.

i. After a winning ticket or pull-tab is declared all other tickets or pull-tabs are discarded.

j. The house/banker then distributes new tickets or pull-tabs to players for the next scoring-play.

If winning ticket or pull-tab is not in distribution (for example winning ticket is still on the carrier card), all players retain their tickets or pull-tabs for the next scoring play to occur while the house/banker distributes the remaining tickets from the carrier card.

The “no score/end of game” ticket is declared a winner when the football game being viewed either ends with no score or the football game ends with tickets still in distribution.

If the football game goes into overtime the interactive game according to the present invention continues as in regulation time. If a scoring play occurs during overtime, the official scoring play produces a winning ticket. If the football game ends in a tie, the “end of game/no score” ticket is declared a winner.

What follows are an example of rules to be followed in employing the interactive game method and device according to the present invention in the specific example of viewing tackle football game wherein the interactive game according to the present invention is played using playing cards by two or more players. That is, instead of the use of tickets or pull-tabs as game member, the playing cards serve as game members having the scoring event descriptors thereon. The limit to the number of players depends on availability of playing cards. There are thirty-nine cards in the standard football version of this interactive game allowing for thirty-nine players. More cards may be employed for more players.

Start of Game

a) Players gather to view football game.

b) Players determine the football games home and visiting teams.

c) The house/banker distributes game cards among players.

d) Players watch the football game and wait for a scoring play to occur.

When a Scoring Play Occurs

a) The house determines the official scoring play and announces the play.

b) The player with the card matching the official scoring play is the winner, or potential winner depending on your chosen method of play.

Winner After Every Scoring Play Method

This method produces a winner after every scoring play. After a play is confirmed a winner, cards are collected and redistributed by the house. This method can be fast and furious. Multiple sets of cards are recommended for this method. The house can distribute cards for the next scoring play prior to collecting the cards from the previous scoring play. The “no score end of quarter/half/game” card applies only at the end of the game for this method.

Winner After Quarter/Half/Game

You choose when you want to have your winner. For example the winner after each quarter. Players keep their cards for the entire quarter. The winning card has to match the last scoring play of the quarter. Play the same for after half and after game methods except the winner is the last scoring play of the half or game. All cards are collected and redistributed after each quarter/half/game.

Determining a Winning Card

All cards represent a football scoring play with the exceptions of the “no score end of quarter/half/game” card. After a scoring play is announced as “official” by the house/banker players check their cards for the winner. The official scoring play will be a pass, run, field goal or a defence/special teams play.

For example an official scoring play would be “32-yard field goal home team”. In the case of a 32-yard field goal for the home team scoring event descriptor on the winning card is:

-   -   “Field Goal     -   31-34 Yards     -   Home”

The 32-yard field goal falls in the range of the 31-34 yard card. The home team kicked the field goal so the winning card must say “home”.

Another example of an official scoring play would be “28 yard run visiting team”. In the case of a 28 yard touchdown run for the visiting team the scoring event descriptor on the winning card is:

-   -   “Run     -   11 Yards and Over     -   Visitors”

The 28 yard touchdown run falls in the range of the 11 yards and over card. Any run 11 yards or over would qualify as a winner. The visiting team scored on the 28-yard run so the card must say “visitors”.

Defence and Special Teams Card

The defense and special team card represents all defence and special teams scoring plays including interception return for touchdown, fumble return for touchdown, kickoff or punt return for touchdown and the safety touch. If any of these plays occurs the defense and special teams card is the winner. Like the other cards the home and visitor rule applies.

No Score End of Quarter/Half/Game Card

The “no score end of quarter/half/game” card is to be kept by the first person that receives it and not returned unless it is validated as a winner. If the card is a winner it will be returned by the house/banker for redistribution. The “no score end of quarter/half/game” card wins when both the home and visiting teams fail to score in the quarter/half/game. If there is no score after a quarter/half/game the “no score” card wins and is returned with the other cards for redistribution.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims. 

1. For use in an interactive game between a plurality of players viewing a sporting game wherein the sporting game has an object of scoring, as between at least two adversarial teams trying to score one over the other, as a result of their respective skill levels, ability, size, endurance, coordination, complexity of play and the like, and wherein the players of the interactive game are observers of the sporting game and interact with one another during play of the sporting game, a device for allocating a scoring event in the sporting game to one of the plurality of players of the interactive game depending on specific circumstances during play of the sporting game which result in scoring of one adversary over at least one of the other adversaries, the device comprising: a set of discrete game members having depicted thereon a corresponding set of unique scoring event descriptors so that each game member of said set of discrete game members has thereon a single unique scoring event descriptor from said set of unique scoring event descriptors, wherein during play of the sporting game individual viewers of the sporting game may be each provided with one or more of said game members so that upon a scoring event in the sporting game, the particular set of play circumstances resulting in the scoring event are correlated to the corresponding unique scoring event descriptors of the corresponding game member held by a viewer and a reward allocated to that viewer.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said set of discrete game members are formed on a substrate having a surface on which are depicted an array of separate said scoring event descriptors, wherein each said scoring event descriptor of said array of separate scoring event descriptors describes a unique said set of play circumstances which result in a said scoring event by one of the adversarial teams in the sporting game.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein said substrate is a substantially opaque sheet and further comprising: a second substantially opaque cover sheet removably mounted by removable mounting means onto said sheet substrate so as to cover said array of separate event descriptors on said sheet substrate to prevent reading of said event descriptors until said cover sheet is manually removed.
 4. The device of claim 3 further comprising: means for separating said array into discrete said scoring event descriptors on correspondingly discrete removed sections of said sheet substrate overlaid by corresponding discrete sections of said cover sheet so as to form individual pull-tab means once so separated, whereby, once so separated, each section of said cover sheet of said corresponding discrete sections of said cover sheet may be lifted from its said removable mounting onto a corresponding section of said sheet substrate of said corresponding discrete removed sections of said sheet substrate so as to expose a corresponding said scoring event descriptor.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said scoring event descriptors include tackle football, plays chosen from the group comprising: running plays, passing plays, field goal plays, defence plays, special teams plays, and, no score/end-of-game.
 6. The device of claim 5 wherein said scoring event descriptors chosen from said group each include a specified range of values associated with a corresponding said scoring event descriptor.
 7. The device of claim 6 wherein, collectively, said specified range of values specifies a range of values covering all possible values for said corresponding said scoring event descriptor so that no play in a football game resulting in a scoring event will not be described in one of said unique scoring event descriptors.
 8. The device of claim 2 wherein said scoring event descriptors include tackle football plays chosen from the group comprising: running plays, passing plays, field goal plays, defence plays, special teams plays, and, no score/end-of-game.
 9. The device of claim 8 wherein said scoring event descriptors chosen from said group each include a specified range of values associated with a corresponding said scoring event descriptor.
 10. The device of claims 9 wherein, collectively, said specified range of values specifies a range of values covering all possible values for said corresponding said scoring event descriptor so that no play in a football game resulting in a scoring event will not be described in one of said unique scoring event descriptors.
 11. The device of claim. 3 wherein said scoring event descriptors include tackle football plays chosen from the group comprising: running plays, passing plays, field goal plays, defence plays, special teams plays, and, no score/end-of-game.
 12. The device of claim 11 wherein said scoring event descriptors chosen from said group each include a specified range of values associated with a corresponding said scoring event descriptor.
 13. The device of claim 12 wherein, collectively, said specified range of values specifies a range of values covering all possible values for said corresponding said scoring event descriptor so that no play in a football game resulting in a scoring event will not be described in one of said unique scoring event descriptors.
 14. The device of claim 4 wherein said means for separating said array includes perforations around said game members so that said game members are separable one from another as between adjacent said game members.
 15. The device of claim 1 further comprising means for selectively separating said array into individual said game members.
 16. The device of claim 15 wherein said means for selectively separating said array includes perforated seams around said game members.
 17. The device of claim 1 wherein said set of discrete game members are a deck of playing cards and wherein a discrete game member of said set of discrete game members is a playing card from said deck of playing cards.
 18. The device of claim 2 wherein said set of discrete game members are a deck of playing cards and wherein a discrete game member of said set of discrete game members is a playing card from said deck of playing cards.
 19. A method of playing an interactive game between a plurality of players viewing a sporting game wherein the sporting game has an object of scoring, as between at least two adversarial teams trying to score one over the other, as a result of their respective skill levels, ability, size, endurance, coordination, complexity of play and the like, and wherein the players of the interactive game are observers of the sporting game and interact with one another during play of the sporting game, and using a device for allocating a scoring event in the sporting game to one of the plurality of players of the interactive game depending on specific circumstances during play of the sporting game which result in scoring of one adversary over at least one of the other adversaries, the method comprising the steps of: distributing to the players of said interactive game a set of discrete game members having depicted thereon a corresponding set of unique scoring event descriptors so that each game member of said set of discrete game members has thereon a single unique scoring event descriptor from said set of unique scoring event descriptors, during play of the sporting game correlating a scoring event in the sporting game and the particular set of play circumstances resulting in the scoring event to the corresponding unique scoring event descriptors of the corresponding game member held by a player of said interactive game and allocating a reward to that player. 